Crumbling Friendships
by Indigo Mermaid
Summary: Now he's done it. Gajeel's gone too far this time! After saying some really mean things Gajeel's left Levy heartbroken. How's he gonna fix this? GaLe. Oneshot for now. Length and rating subject to change.


Howdy Kids! I've had this sitting on my computer for some time now and just found the time to finish it! Enjoy and review please!

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It was a typical day in Magnolia. Bright and sunny. It was also a typical day at Fairy Tail, the local wizards' guild; noisy as all hell. Most of the men in the guild were fighting and going on about something that Natsu had started. Lucy and Levy were sitting at the bar with Mirajane.

"Do they ever stop?" Lucy asked putting her head on the bar.

"Nope," Levy replied with a giggle.

"So how are things going for you?" Lucy asked raising an eyebrow.

"Wh-what do you mean Lu-chan?" Levy asked with a blush rising to her face.

"Oh you know what I mean. How are you and your 'metal lover' getting along?" Levy's face turned and even darker shade of red.

"Yes Levy. How are you two?" Mirajane added.

"Stop it guys! You know there's nothing going on between Gajeel and I!" Not the she didn't want there to be.

"I still don't believe you."

"Neither do I Lucy." Mira agreed. Gajeel walked up pretending not to know what they were talking about. He'd heard the whole conversation. He was a few tables away from the bar, but he had excellent hearing. He walked up to the bar to get a refill on his beer and some more metal. He also tried to save the shrimp for the embarrassment he was sure she was feeling right now.

"Can I get a refill?"

"Sure," Mira said grabbing the mug he put on the counter. Gajeel turned to the girls sitting at the bar.

"Shrimp. Bunny-girl."

"Would you stop calling me that?!" They both shrieked. He just laughed. He loved getting a rise out of them.

"Nope. It's too funny and it fits."

"Gajeel…"

"Hey shrimp. You busy later this week? I picked up a request to find some weird talisman for some rich guy. It's old and everything known about it is in some weird old language. Can ya help me and Lilly out a bit? You'd get a cut obviously."

"Sure! We can leave the day after tomorrow if you'd like. Let me just talk to Jet and Droy first." Just then Jet and Droy walked in the guild. They saw her talking to him and instantly the happiness on their faces faded to jealousy and disgust.

"Hey guys!" Levy called cheerily. They just waved at her then sat down at an unoccupied table. "I wonder what their problem is today," she thought aloud.

"Who knows." Gajeel said as he left with his drink to rejoin Pantherlilly.

On his way back to Lilly he couldn't help but overhear Jet and Droy.

"I can't stand it anymore! Why does she waste her time with him? She's turning into a two-timing slut. She's going behind our backs to be with _him_." Droy complained.

"I know! Like when did she turn into this hussy? She's not our Levy anymore." Jet agreed. Hussy? HUSSY?! Bookworm was many things and a hussy was not one of them.

"What was that?" Gajeel asked through gritted teeth behind Jet. An involuntary shiver could be seen running down his spine. The guild was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Neither of them said anything. "I said what was that!" Gajeel said louder and slammed his mug on the table as his rage quickly rose.

"N-none of your business. Go back to your cat Gajeel." Jet stammered.

"Not quite yet. Why don't you share that with your other best friend?"

"Gajeel what are you talking about?" Levy asked standing from her stool.

"Ask your best friends talking shit behind your back."

"Gajeel we know you don't like us, but this is outrageous." Jet said standing. He was quickly trying to save his and Droy's asses. Thinking on his feet was his specialty.

"Tell Levy what you just called her." Gajeel said while grabbing the collar of Jet's shirt. "Tell her what you really think of her."

"Jet…what's he talking about?" she asked walking towards the two. She was ready to leap between the two of them if she thought it might help. She was tired of seeing them at each other's throats all the time.

"I have no idea Levy."

"Don't play dumb. You just called her a hussy!" Gajeel yelled. Levy gasped, along with all the other girls in the guild.

"What?! Why would I ever say that?!"

"Gajeel…why would you say such a thing?!" Levy was in shock and tears were welling up in her eyes. Is that what he thought of her? Why would he accuse Jet of lying?! He was her best friend right? All eyes were on Levy now. No one dared to say a word until she did. She couldn't take it. She just looked down at her feet. "I…I…"

"Shrimp, why would I lie to you about this?"

"Because you're an evil bastard Gajeel!" Jet screamed as he ripped himself from Gajeel's grip.

"Are you just going to let them say that shit bookworm?!" Gajeel roared incredulously at her.

"Don't listen to him Levy. He's clearly demented. He thinks he can ruin our friendship by making up lies. I bet he's the one that thinks you're a hussy!" Gajeel was done listening. He hauled off and punched Jet in the face. There was an audible crack as Gajeel's fist met Jet's jaw. Gajeel towered over Jet's limp body on the ground. Memories came flooding back to cloud Levy's vision. All she could see was the three of them being bolted to a tree after being beaten to a pulp.

"Gajeel stop it!" She shook her head. "Leave him alone. Why would you say something like that?!" She refused to believe it. Her best friends wouldn't say that about her. They _couldn't_!

"You're just as delusional as they are shrimp." Gajeel said in disbelief.

She could take no more. Tears exploded from her eyes as she burst into a sob. She took off toward the back of the guild. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. She was so embarrassed. She ran to the back and into a janitor closet. How dare he do that?! She slammed the door behind her. She hid behind a shelf and leaned herself and her head on the wall behind her. Tears began to escape her eyes as she slid to the floor. She began wiping them away along with the streaking make-up off her face.

"That monster. Why would he say that? What did I ever do to deserve to be embarrassed like that?!" she yelled to the empty closet. She continued to sniffle and wipe her face trying to collect herself when she thought she heard footsteps in the hallway. She listened from more, and more came. She held her breath trying not to make a sound.

"Shrimp?" It was Gajeel.

"Shrimp, where are you? Look I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. Levy? Levy please just let me talk to you." He called her Levy.

'He said my name. My actual name. That doesn't excuse what he did though,' she debated with herself wiping another tear off her face. She let out a sniffle, the footsteps stopped.

"Levy?" his voice came in gently through the door. She froze. The door opened and light streaked through the crack. She scrambled to get away from the light that might possibly expose her. The door opened just long enough for Gajeel to get into the closet then promptly closed the door behind him. "Shrimp I know you're in here. I can smell you, and hear you breathing," he said as he walked around the shelf she was hiding behind. She pulled her knees to her put her face down behind them.

"Go away. Haven't you done enough already?!" That stung him.

"No, I haven't. I need to fix this." He said as he knelt down in front of her. "Shorty will you just look at me?" He said putting a finger under her chin to push her head up. She let him and he looked into her red, puffy eyes and looked at her tear stained face. "Levy I'm so sorry. I fucked up. It was just those two have been saying things behind my back long enough and I can deal with that, but for them to insult you like that… I couldn't let that stand."

"What? What do you mean insult me?" Gajeel went quiet. "Gajeel, what do you mean?"

"Levy they HATE that you talk to me! They think it's disgusting. They're still pissed about what I did to you three when I was in Phantom. Usually I don't give a flying fuck what those weaklings say or think about me, but the second they started talking shit about you, their supposed best friend I lost it."

"What? Jet and Droy…" she said incredulously. "Did they really say that?" Gajeel went silent again "Gajeel please."

"They called you a two-timing slut and a hussy," he said with a growl.

"I thought…Oh my gosh. Gajeel I'm sorry!" She said throwing her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and felt a weight lift off his shoulders knowing things were back to normal between them. He squeezed her a little tighter and she reciprocated. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Don't be. Otherwise I wouldn't get the chance to do this."

"The chance to do wh-" She started to say as she pulled back. Gajeel had covered her lips with his. He pulled her into his lap. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip asking for entrance which she granted quickly. He kissed her deeply and she complied. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. She didn't fight, she didn't run. She just accepted what was happening. He reached up and ran his hand through her gorgeous hair. She chose that moment to take control with her tongue and ran it along the roof of his mouth. He moaned in delight. He moved his hand from her hair to the base of her neck and pulled her even closer if that was possible.

"L-Levy? Are you back here?" came a voice in the hallway.

"Oh no, it's Droy! What do we do?" Levy asked jumping off his lap. He stood up so he was next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It's alright; just go where you were before, between the shelf and the wall."

"What about you?"

"Oh don't worry. I'm coming with you. I'll be standing in front of you hiding you. My jacket's black so if he only looks in for a moment he shouldn't notice." She just nodded. She's learned during the S Class exams to just trust him, at times. She walked behind the shelf and Gajeel followed. He stood in front of her and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close. The door opened, and she buried her face in his chest to try to hide. He didn't move so he wouldn't give away his position or draw attention to himself. When the door closed, neither of them moved. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Levy pulled back.

"I-I guess the coast is clear." Gajeel didn't move. He just stood there with his eyes closed as if concentrating on something very hard. "Gajeel?" That broke him of his trance. His eyes shot open with a burning intensity behind his stare. He thrust his arms out and slammed his hands on either side of Levy on the wall right behind her. He took a step closer, she took one back. "Gajeel?" she asked again. She wasn't scared of him, just confused by his actions. He'd never been this direct before. She reached out to touch his face when out of nowhere he just leaned in and devoured her mouth. She was shocked, but very receptive. She wrapped both arms around his neck as she took another step toward him. He stepped toward her, wrapped one arm around her waist and put the other behind her head pulling her to him to deepen the kiss.

Levy let her hands roam across his strong shoulders and down his back feeling every taught muscle. Gajeel picked her up around her waist and moved her back another 2 steps so that she was leaning on the wall behind her. He took another step and closed the distance between them. He began to use the hand that was around her waist to explore her body a bit. How small but toned her waist was. How deliciously curvaceous her hips were. He reached around and took a firm grip on her ass. Toned and sexy as hell naturally. Levy moaned at Gajeel's touch. His hands carefully caressing her waist and hips. She let out another moan as her grabbed her ass again. That got him going. He thrusted against her. She moaned even more. "Gajeel…" she moaned into his kiss. He thrusted again, earning an even bigger moan from Levy.

He was going to lose it at this rate. Levy was just too damn enticing even if she didn't know it. He needed to stop this before he did something to her that he'd regret. Something that might make her run from him forever. He broke the kiss and growled. He took a step to her right and he punched the wall. He slammed his forehead into the wall as well. Levy was stunned. She didn't know what had just happened, or why it had.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked carefully.

"No. You did everything right which is causing me to lose it just a bit," he said to the wall. "I don't want to do something to you'll that I'll regret or make you do something that you'll regret."

"Like what?" she asked timidly.

"Like rip your clothes off and make you my mate here and now," he said still staring at the wall in front of him. He was shaking. Levy could do nothing but blush. She knew that dragons mated for life. She'd read more about dragons since the S-class exams. They would only mate with someone they could love more than anything in the world and would do anything to protect them, and for him to almost admit that to her made her head spin.

"Gajeel…" she said soothingly. She ducked under his arm to stand in front of him. She held his face in her hands. She was surprised. She'd never felt safer or sexier standing between his arms staring into his eyes. He closed his eye and let out a deep breath that he'd been holding. Levy felt some pressure fall off her shoulders.

"You…have NO idea what you do to me do you?" he said trying to concentrate. He wasn't about to jump her. She was everything he wanted, needed in his life. He wasn't about to force her to do something she didn't want. As uncaring he seemed, he just couldn't do anything to hurt the small girl ever again. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring into the most beautiful hazel eyes.

"Oh Gajeel…" she said while letting her hands slide to his shoulders. "You don't know what you do to _me_ do you? You attacked our guild, and me." He winced at the reminder and looked down. "Yet," she put a hand under his chin to make him look at her, "even after that, you manage to make me get over my fear of you and slowly like your more and more every day. You helped me try to become an S-class mage, and protect me with your life from enemy guilds. Gajeel Redfox, I like you. I really like you. You make me feel like more than a small, weak mage. It's more than that though," He didn't know what to say. He searched her eyes for any hint of doubt and found nothing.

He pulled her to him and crashed his mouth upon hers in a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes to deepen the kiss. The hairs on the back of Gajeel's neck stood up. The bookworm actually liked him. Her confessions made it even harder for him not to mate her right then and there, but he wouldn't unless she truly wanted it.

She couldn't hold herself up on her toes any longer, so she lowered herself to flat feet. Gajeel wasn't having that. He wrapped an arm around her waist and picked her up. He then wedged her between himself and the wall behind her. She gasped at suddenly behind lifted but overcame the shock quickly. She wrapped her legs around his waist to hold herself up. He put a hand on her waist and slowly began to run his thumb under the bottom of her shirt. The sensation gave Levy goose bumps all over her skin.

Gajeel waned to touch more of her. He put his hand under her shirt and ran it all over her torso and her toned stomach. Her breath hitched in her throat as his hand brushed the underside of one of her breasts. He broke their kiss and began nibbling at her neck.

"Sorry," he muttered into her neck while kissing his way up to her ear. Once he got to her ear, he exhaled and sent shivers up Levy's spine. She ran her hands in his hair.

"Don't be" she half moaned as he did it again.

"Oh?" he stopped kissing her neck. "Is that so? Then you won't mind if I do this?" He readjusted her so that she was wedged higher up the wall. He pulled up the bottom of her shirt to expose the delicate flesh beneath it.

"What are you-" She stopped dead sentence when she felt Gajeel's lips on her stomach. Her breath hitched in her throat and she gasped.

His lips were warm on her cool stomach, and it felt amazing. She longed to feel his lips all over her stomach. Without having to tell him, Gajeel did just that. He wanted to do it just as much as she wanted him to. He put his hand on the wall to steady them when his hand brushed something.

*CRASH*

They both jumped in surprise as a mop, broom, and metal bucket all clattered on the floor behind them. Levy took a deep breath and hung her head in relief. She reached down and flicked him on the nose.

"Way to go." She said teasingly. Freed from his lust induced spell, along with the moment coming to a screeching halt, his lowered Levy to the ground to stand on her own feet.

"Someone will have heard that. We should go."

"Huh? Oh yeah. You're right, let's get out of here quick." He grabbed her hand and opened the door. He stuck his head out to see if anyone was coming to check on the noise yet. Lucky break, no one yet.

"Let's get out of here shrimp," he said pulling her out of the closet into the blinding sunlight. They ran toward the front of the guild. They would be running past everyone in the guild. She didn't care, and hopefully neither did he. As she thought, they ran past a good chunk of the guild on their way away from the closet. She let go of his hand because she didn't know if he'd want anyone to see her holding his hand. He held onto hers tighter.

Only Jet and Droy stopped running when the bluenette ran past the group with _him. _No one else even batted an eyelash at them.

"Levy?" the both asked shocked and confused. Before Levy could even respond to them Gajeel had reach around with his free arm and flipped the two off. Levy giggled. They kinda deserved it after all. They ran past everyone in the main hall of the guild and out the door.

"About damn time!" Mirajane called after them.

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Well. Now that it's over I'm debating on whether or not to continue it. So it's up to you guys. Oneshot or no?


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